Singing: Is it possible to only be able to sing one type of music?

Question

I am trained in singing classical music, by this I mean operatic stuff, chorale music....Ave Maria, the works. I'm a soprano 1 meaning my range is usually very high.

However, I have a hard time singing pop music. Is this normal? If you can sing one type of music--in this case classical, yet not sing pop well?

The thing is, my music professors say pop music isn't "real" in that it uses the throat voice rather than the abdominal, which is used in opera.

Thus, I'm not sure if you can "practice" and train to sing pop music...considering music professors don't find it as real singing.

Answer 1

What's interesting about voice is that it can be trained with awareness, especially if you have good ears. You notice that opera music requires a vibratto. In pop, it would be a clash, an awfully embarassing attempt. So, you kill the vibratto, then if you listen carefully to pop music, you release yourself from the anal need to enunciate every word to standard english/italian/etc.

Then add the dimension of sensuality in the voice with use of accentuated aspirations and breaths sounds and flattend or non-existent vibratto.. you've got a beginning promise.

Hey, it's possible. Charlotte Church did it.. And then Michael Bolton actually sounds convincing when HE, the pop music star, sings Ave Maria with Domingo. I think anyone can..

And then look at Josh Groban..he's somewhat of a hybrid. He's got a great voice, regardless of whether you like all his particular songs.

The only the greatest risk is image. As a classical voice, you attempt at purity of voice and image. But in pop/rock that same goodness will bring you down before you even begin. You need the sexy persona for pop/rock. A classical cross-over might not be received in a formerly relevant Britney-mania fashion.

By the way your professor is naturally biased... because singing some songs in pop/rock require tremendous training in terms of lung capacity. Take singing "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" and compare it to singing Maria Carey's intricately sung, "Always be my baby". It takes different skills, but Carey's singing is no less grand! She has perfect/absolute pitch, huge range, and fluidity.

Answer 2

I sing soprano in my choir. Choral music. I am one of the soloists for a lot of songs. But no, I don't sing opera. It's not impossible to sing pop, soprano, and classical. I have a total mix, I'm good at all three. Some people can, some people can't.

It's totally alright, it's normal, a lot of poeple can't sing! Are afraid to step onto the preformance stage under gleaming lights like brilliant stars. It is possible to only sing one type of music, maybe your good at another style, but you haven't found it yet?

My choir teacher said that Singing Talent is natural and that the range of your voice is to the expanse of your vocal chords. I think she would say you should just do what your voice sounds best in. :D

Answer 3

Pat Benetar, one of the greatest female rock stars in music history, is a classically trained (Julliard) operatic singer. She is able to sing rock, jazz, classical, almost anything.
Joan Jett, another very famous female rock star, cannot sing anything other than what it is she does.
Myself: I can sing rock or country or easy listening; however, I am not that versatile. It is mostly the softer-type rock that I sing (John Mellencamp, CCR, Olcies, etc.). That style of voice is the same basic type as country singers. So, while I can sing many style, theya re all the same type of singing.

It all depends on the singer. If you want to learn to sing Pop, then you need to learn how, and practice just as hard as you do on your classical voice.

Answer 4

You may (or may not) have the aptitude for singing multiple song styles. In some people's point of view, pop isn't "real singing". It still takes talent and vocal control. Just because you can sing operatic doesn't mean you can necessarily sing any type of music (you think all the country singers can sing opera?). It's normal for you to have strengths in certain styles and not in others. But if you practice and work out your vocals, you can master just about anything.

Answer 5

Not only possible, it's perfectly normal.

Singing well in one style takes years of practice, let alone in several. Outside of that, the overwhelming majority of people specialize in a single genre that their voice is most suited for. Which is why you don't see very many famous vocalists doing crossovers.

You aren't going to hear Andrea Bocelli whipping out Nothing Else Matters. You won't hear Garth Brooks releasing an album with La Boheme either. A good motto: "To accomplish one moment of greatness is worth more than a thousand moments of 'just good'".

Answer 6

Good vocal technique is gool vocal technique. If you are trained properly, you should be able to sing any type of music (within your vocal range) as long as you understand the required stylistic changes that are necessary. All you should need to do is make MINOR modifications to your already solid technique and tweak your style.

If you find yourself able to sing only classical, you need to determine if it is your technique that is lacking or your understanding of the required stylistic changes that is lacking. You chould be able to sing an art song, a musical theater belt song, a jazz standard, an opera aria, and an oratorio solo in succession without negative impact and with the ability to sound good on all of them.

If you find yourself able to only sing classical, it is highly probable that you "cheat" with your technique. This means you don't sing with a well developed technique and you instead make physiological modifications in order to approximate the classical sound you are looking for. Some extreme examples of this are "swallowing" (or covering) the voice to get a more operatic sound, moving your jaw or other body part to produce a vibrato (instead of doing it the right way), distorting vowels (to get a darker sound), etc. Some less extreme examples are not properly breathing, not properly controling the air flow, not properly controling the vocal chords, singing with tension in the tongue or neck or chin, etc. Take a good look at your technique. People who cheat get so used to the cheat that they can't let it go when they try to sing a different style. It is also true for the rock star that can't also sing a church hymn - they should be able to do both.

I see a lot of people who are trained to produce a certain sound (classical or otherwise) as opposed to producing a sound with a proper technique. Tell your voice teacher you want to work on different music. If they won't let you, find another teacher. The best teachers don't care what you sing because their focus is on making sure you have a good technique; not making sure you can "sound a certain way".

Granted, some high sopranos have a hard time finding pop, rock, and jazz rep in their range; however it's out there. Some people find it easiest to transition from classical to pop rep by singing some of the cross-over rep. Cross over artists like Charlotte Church and Sarah Brightman have rep that is appropriate to higher singers. However, please don't try to approximate their sound. Some of the cross over artists (without naming names) have horrible, horrible technique and trying to sound like them can be bad news. I prefer to have my students use musical theater (going from the more classical shows like Sound of Music and working their way to something like Chorus Line and finally something like Rent). Also, there are pop artists that have some rep that fits higher voices. Look at Mariah Carey, Cindy Lauper, Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, Christana A., Whitney Houston. A lot of high singer have a hard time singing pop music because they are trying to sing something that's too low for their voice. Find something that fits your range.

Good Luck!!! With a little hard work you'll be able to get it!

Answer 7

sometimes your voice can be suited to a certain type of music and you can sing that type easier than any other...especially if this is the way you are trained to sing. but i guess it is all a matter of practice...if you practiced pop just as much as classical i guess you could be good at both.

Answer 8

Sometimes a person's voice might be suited very well for classical but not for pop.. and vice versa too.

Answer 9

I think you have to know how to project your voice in a variety of ways. I sing Pop, r&b, rock-n-roll, jazz, and hip hop

Answer 10

yes its normal and possible i can only sing country and slow songs, and pop but other than that i can't . remember practice makes perfect.